Sand Mtn. Elec. coop
Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution utility cooperative headquartered in Rainsville, Alabama, serving over 31,538 members across 996 square miles in portions of DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, and Cherokee counties in northeast Alabama. It distributes TVA wholesale power and operates a digital customer portal, mobile apps, and member services platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1940
- HeadquartersRainsville, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sand Mtn. Elec. coop does
Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative (SMEC) is a member-owned electric distribution utility cooperative headquartered at 402 Main Street West, Rainsville, Alabama. Organized on March 25, 1940, SMEC distributes electricity purchased wholesale from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to over 31,538 member-customers across 996 square miles of territory in portions of DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, and Cherokee counties in northeast Alabama, including 19 incorporated towns. The cooperative serves two primary customer segments — residential members and commercial/industrial customers — with the latter supported through a Key Accounts Program channeled via TVA's Comprehensive Services Program (CSP). Membership requires a $25 one-time fee, and member governance is exercised through a nine-member Board of Trustees elected to three-year terms at the annual meeting.
SMEC's core product is electricity distribution delivered through owned infrastructure — power lines, transformers, meters, and an Outage Management System for restoration coordination. Its digital service surface is anchored on a web-based Customer Portal and native mobile applications for iOS and Android (plus a Mobile Web App) that provide account management, bill viewing, payment processing, usage graphs, and push notifications, supported by Auto Pay, Bank Draft, E-Billing, Pay Multiple Accounts, and a Quick Pay feature enabling guest payments without login. Payments are processed by third-party PCI-compliant providers; SMEC does not store full card or bank account numbers. Adjacent member-facing programs include Alabama Living Magazine (monthly mailed publication), Energy Conservation Programs, Youth Tour Days (student travel to Washington D.C. since 1969), Scholarship Program, school athletic signs and yearbook advertisements, and the Neighbor Helping Neighbor donation program.
SMEC generates revenue from monthly electricity consumption charges and base fees billed to its 31,538+ members under rates set in its Schedule of Rates (specific dollar amounts not publicly disclosed). Revenue mechanics are subscription-recurring — usage-based monthly billing with optional auto-pay/bank-draft enrollment — and the go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer. Prospective members establish service at the Rainsville office in person, with ongoing service delivered via physical distribution infrastructure and digital channels (web, mobile apps, phone, in-person, and Remote Payment System locations at seven local grocery stores). The cooperative employs 76 staff including a General Manager/CEO, COO, CFO, and department-level supervisors and superintendents. SMEC is a non-profit cooperative, is not publicly traded, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and does not raise outside capital.
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sand Mtn. Elec. coop
- Legal name
- Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative
- Website
- https://smec.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1940
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution utility cooperative headquartered in Rainsville, Alabama, serving over 31,538 members across 996 square miles in portions of DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, and Cherokee counties in northeast Alabama. It distributes TVA wholesale power and operates a digital customer portal, mobile apps, and member services platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Utility Distribution
- NAICS
- Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)
Keywords
Where Sand Mtn. Elec. coop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rainsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Electricity Distribution Service: Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative generates revenue through electricity distribution service fees charged to its over 31,538 member-customers. Members pay for electricity consumption based on rates established by the cooperative's Schedule of Rates. The cooperative purchases power from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and distributes it to members. Revenue comes from monthly electricity bills which include base charges and consumption-based usage fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Membership Fee - $25 one-time membership required to establish service |
| Other | Monthly | Meter Deposit - Variable amount determined by consumer accounts department |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Electricity Service - Consumption-based billing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit electric distribution utility cooperative serving over 31,538 members across 996 square miles in northeast Alabama (DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, and Cherokee counties). The cooperative distributes electricity purchased wholesale from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to residential and commercial members through a regulated service territory grid, supported by digital account management tools (customer portal, mobile apps), multiple payment channels, and outage management services.
Product overview
Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative operates as an electric distribution utility serving over 31,538 members in portions of DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall and Cherokee counties in northeast Alabama. The cooperative's primary product offering is its Customer Portal—a unified online and mobile platform for account management, billing, payments, and service requests. This core platform is supplemented by multiple service modules including Quick Pay for guest payments, E-Billing for electronic statements, Auto Pay and Bank Draft for automated payments, a native SMEC Mobile App for iOS and Android with push notification support, and the Alabama Living Magazine for member communications. The cooperative also offers community-focused programs including Energy Conservation, Youth Tour Days, Scholarship Program, Athletic Signs, and Yearbook Advertisement for school support, plus Key Accounts Program providing commercial energy services. The service infrastructure includes an Outage Management System for restoration coordination and the Neighbor Helping Neighbor program for community assistance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SMEC Customer Portal
- SMEC Mobile App
- Quick Pay
- Auto Pay
- Bank Draft
- E-Billing
- Key Accounts Program
- Outage Reporting Service
Companies that use Sand Mtn. Elec. coop
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature4 records
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreSand Mountain Electric Cooperative purchases all of its electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), who is currently the nation's largest generator of electricity. TVA generates power from multiple sources including hydroelectric dams, nuclear plants, and fossil fuel plants, providing SMEC with wholesale power for distribution to its member-customers in northeast Alabama. This is the core supplier relationship that enables SMEC to provide electricity service to its rural service territory.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Oglethorpe Power Corporation: Largest generation-and-transmission cooperative in the U.S., supplying power to member EMCs in Georgia. Comparable cooperative structure in the rural electric distribution ecosystem, though operating at a larger scale and on a different generation supply side.
Direct peers
- Volunteer Energy Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative in Tennessee, purchasing from TVA. Comparable business model, regulatory environment, and rural member services to SMEC, though operating in a different state.
- Jackson Energy Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative in southeastern Kentucky. Comparable as a rural electric co-op providing distribution, billing, and outage services to residential and commercial members.
- PowerSouth Energy Cooperative: Alabama generation-and-transmission cooperative supplying multiple member distribution co-ops, including some in SMEC's region. Comparable as a cooperative utility operating in the same Alabama/TVA ecosystem.
- Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation: Larger TVA-served distribution cooperative in Tennessee with a similar member-owned model, digital billing and member service platforms, and community engagement programs. Useful peer for scale and digital-benchmarking comparisons.
- Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Large member-owned electric distribution cooperative in central Texas. Comparable in cooperative structure, member-governance model, and broad portfolio of digital member services including apps and online portal.
- Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative: Member-owned distribution electric cooperative in southeastern Arizona serving rural members. Comparable as a large, geographically dispersed rural electric co-op with similar member-service and digital product offerings.
- Cullman Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative in north Alabama, also supplied by TVA. Comparable in membership structure, service territory characteristics, and digital member-service platforms.
- North Alabama Electric Cooperative: TVA-served distribution cooperative operating in north Alabama with a similar member-owned structure, serving rural residential and commercial members. Directly comparable in operations, scale, and product offering.
- Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corporation: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative also serving north Alabama, purchasing wholesale power from TVA. Highly comparable in business model, regulatory framework, customer base, and technology stack to SMEC.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop social profiles
Digital presenceSand Mtn. Elec. coop compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sand Mtn. Elec. coop
What does Sand Mtn. Elec. coop do?
Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit electric distribution utility cooperative serving over 31,538 members across 996 square miles in northeast Alabama (DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, and Cherokee counties). The cooperative distributes electricity purchased wholesale from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to residential and commercial members through a regulated service territory grid, supported by digital account management tools (customer portal, mobile apps), multiple payment channels, and outage management services.
Is Sand Mtn. Elec. coop a public or private company?
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sand Mtn. Elec. coop founded?
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop was founded in 1940.
Where is Sand Mtn. Elec. coop based?
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop is headquartered in Rainsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sand Mtn. Elec. coop make money?
One revenue line is on record: electricity Distribution Service.
Who are Sand Mtn. Elec. coop's main competitors?
Oglethorpe Power Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Volunteer Energy Cooperative, Jackson Energy Cooperative, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Cullman Electric Cooperative, North Alabama Electric Cooperative and Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corporation.
Does Sand Mtn. Elec. coop have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sand Mtn. Elec. coop.
What industry is Sand Mtn. Elec. coop in?
Sand Mtn. Elec. coop's product category is Electric Utility Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities). Its NAICS code is 221122 and its SIC code is 4911.